Women Are Not Powerless Research Paper

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Women Are Not Powerless

Josh Samuels
Hofstra University
CLL 039
Professor Keller
15 May 2017

Women Are Not Powerless
Studying the plethora of Greek literature throughout this semester has elicited a variety of ideas and general perceptions of what type of lifestyle characters in mythology had to live. Through our readings there have been a number of scenarios and circumstances that give a general idea of the ideals and values that dictated mythological society. Conducting further research on the templates you provided us for research gave me an opportunity to explore elements of mythological Greek culture that interest me very much. These pieces of literature create a vivid description of society and only raise curiosity …show more content…

This type of treatment is displayed in many ways throughout The Iliad. As described in The Iliad book II, “as things are, the argives will take flight homeward over the wide ridges of the sea to the land of their fathers, and thus they would leave to Priam and to the Trojans Helen of Argos, to glory over, for whose sake many Achaians lost their lives in Troy far from their own native country” (Lattimore, 2011, p. …show more content…

She is described as “the mind of a bitch and deceitful nature” (Walcot, 1984, p. 41). These characterizations stem from a story when Zeus was deceived into making an ill-advised decision by Titan Prometheus. He wanted revenge and as a result he “retaliated by having the first woman Pandora prepared and presented to Prometheus stupid brother Epimetheus” (Walcot, 1984, p. 40). Unfortunately, going against Zeus’s advice, Epimetheus was too infatuated with her beauty and as a result could not resist temptation. Pandora then went on and “removed the lid from a storage jar which housed all the evils afflicting mankind” (Walcot, 1984, p.41). Hence, the characterization of “Beautiful Evil” (ibid). However, this is not the only act of deception in Greek mythology as a product of seduction. Zeus was also deceived by Hera, through the art of seduction. As described in The Iliad, “But Hera, light-footed, made her way to the peak of Garagos on towering Ida. And Zeus who gathers the clouds and saw her, and when he saw her desire was a mist about his close heart as much as on that time they first went to bed together and lay in love, and their dead parents knew nothing of it.” (Book 14, p.

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